Improvement in cartridge-cases for revolving fire-arms



J. H. VIGKERS. OARTRIDGE CASE FOR REVOLVING FIREARMS.

No. 39,869. Patented Sept.- 8, 1863.

Ill/IIIIIIM 7/4'29remws Tn: NORRIS PETERS cu. PHOTO-LZTHO WA5H|NGTON,'D.\.

UNITED STA "PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. VIGKER-S, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS,

AND UcIUsw Porn), or SAME'PLAOE,

IMPROVEMENT :m cantrnmertcesns ron' REVOLVING TIRE-ARM Spectjicatiohforhn'ngpart of Letters Patent No. 39,869, dated September 8, 18ti3 To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, JOHN H.;,V1oKERs, of Worcester, in. the countyof Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that thet'ollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, ref

erence being bad to'the accompanying drawings forming partof this specification, in whichv Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of the many-chambered cylinder of arevolving fire-arm illustrating my invention. I Fig. 2 is an outside longitudinal view of one of the thimbles OI'JtllbBS which line the chambers, containinga metallic cartridge. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section 'of the thimble without the cartridge. Fig. 4 isa central longitudinal section of the cylinder,illustrating the provision for loading with loose powder and balls. section of one of the nipples which are inserted in the thimbles or tubes.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures. The'principal object of my invention. is to provide for loading the chambersof the cylind'er offrevolving fire-arms in front with metalliccartridges of the common form and construction-that is to say, containing a fulminating priming in a hollow-flange projecting circumferentially from the rear portion of theshell; and to thisend it consists in providing the chambers with lining-thimbles or tubes, with a proper internal caliber to receive the cylindrical portions of the cartridges, and of an externalcircumference equal to that of the flanges of tbecartridges, the chambers being bored sufiiciently large for the reception of the said tubes, provided with suitable stops in the rear to prevent the cartridges from slipping through. Another object of the invention is to provide for loading with loose powder and ball when the metallic cartridges havegiven outor cannot e obtained; and to this end it consists in fitting, the rear ends of the said thimbles or tubes with nipples, which can be inserted and. removed at pleasure. The invention is also applicable to breech-loading fire aarms (so.

called) which receive their charges in front,

of the chamber.

. boredfrom the front Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal and being partially closed or To enable-others skilledin the art to make and apply myinvention, I will proceed-to describe its construction and operation.

A is the cylinder, I

to within a suitable distance of the rearend, ot a caliber large enough for the free passage of the. flanges a of the cartridge-shells B, and having a smaller central hole, b, bored through'it from the rear of each chamber, leaving a -shoulder,=e, all around the rear of the chamber, to serve as a stop to prevent the cartridge from slipping through. c c are narrow slots, cut in the rear edge of the cylinder into each. chamber for the entrance ot' the nose of the hammer to strike the flanges of the cartridges and'explode the fulminating priming contained therein;

- O O are the lining thimbles 0r tubes, -made of steel, and bored cylindrically throughout, forthe reception of the cylindrical portions of the cartridges, and turned internally to fit the chambers,

muzzl'es of the chambers, as shown in Fig. 1,. The length of these thimbles from the back of the flanges is equal to the whole length *of the chambers, minus the thickness of the flanges of the cartridges.

To load the arm with the metallic cartridges, the lining-thimbles O O are withdrawn from the chambers in a forwarddirection by taking hold of the flanges ff, and the cartridges are inserted into them from the rear ends as far as the flanges a-a, after which they are reinserted in the c'hambersfrom the front ends.-

To permit'the withdrawal of thethimbles, the cylinder must either be removedfrom the frame of the arm, or the frame must be capable of opening to expose the muzzles-of the chambers. When the cylinder has been replaced or the frame closed up, the thimbles are all covered or partly covered by the front of the frame, and the thimbles and the cartridges thereby prevented from slipping, forward in the chambers eitherwhile the cartridges are being struck by the hammer to tire them, or while the arm is carried in a loaded condition with the barrel downward. i

To remove the empty cartridge-shellsand the thimbles C G, for reloading, the cylinder is taken'out of the arm, or the/trame opeued Assiesoa'cro HIMSELF having its ch'ambersd d but having at their front ends ex-' ternal flanges f f to lap over the edges of the the flanges of -pressed against 0 care removed from the nipples protrude and a rodinserted through the'lioles b b, and the shells toforce thein and the thimbles forward far enough to enable the thimbles to be laid hold of with the thumb andfln'gen-to draw them and the shells out through the front of the chambers, v

. To use loose powder'aud ball. the thimbles the chambers, and into the rear end of each there is inserted one of thenipples 9,- Figs: 4 and 5, which is'fitted thereinto snugly enough to keep in place when 1 imrtem bnt not tight enough to preventit ,drawn out when desired.

being pushed or The flanges provided around these nipples fill up the spaocs between .the rear ends of the thimbles and the backs of the chambers. Percussion-caps are placed on the cones of the nipples before replacing the thimbles'in' the chambers, and the loading is performed after the insertion of the thimbles. The cones of through-the holes b b in the real-of the cylinder, and expose the percussion-caps to the action of thehanimer,

which should be so constructed thatit would vrear of the chambers; butstantially' as herein strike the so-a'pplied caps or the flanges of. the metallic cartridges, as may be required.

I do not claim any peculiarity in the construction of the breech of the cylinder at the What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The thimble or tube 0, constructed sub-- described, and applied substantially'as herein set forth, in combination .with-a chamber 'bqred large enough for the passage of the circumferentially project ing flanges'ofthe cartridges from'the front ends thereof,

and closed or partly closed at their rear ends.

2. The movable nipples gg,

s'tantially as an for the fled.

purpose herein speci- JOHN H."VIGKERS.

. g applied in combination with the thimbles or tubes 00, sub- 

